Archive by Author
“Promemoria” by Gianni Rodari Posted by Serena on Feb 11, 2009
I was browsing through my books this morning when I came across a little poem which I had forgotten all about: it’s called Promemoria (Memo) and was written by Gianni Rodari, a famous children’s author who is also loved by adults. Rodari was born in 1920 in Omegna (Piedmont); when he was young he initially worked as a…
Aceto Balsamico di Modena Posted by Serena on Feb 8, 2009
Aceto balsamico di Modena is a concentrated, syrupy, dark brown balsamic vinegar with a deep complex aroma; just a few drops of it in any sauce or salad will give it a unique flavor. But what makes aceto balsamico di Modena so special and why is so expensive? Well, as the name implies, authentic balsamic…
Passato Prossimo e Imperfetto Posted by Serena on Feb 4, 2009
If you’re struggling to understand when to use the present perfect and when it is more appropriate to use the imperfect this blog should help you. In my experience of teaching Italian to English speakers I have found this to be a very common problem. It is equally difficult for Italian people learning English to…
Campanilismo Posted by Serena on Feb 2, 2009
The word campanilismo, which doesn’t have a specific English translation, derives from campanile (bell tower). The campanile, traditionally the tallest and most prominent building in any town or village, has become, in the concept of campanilismo, an enduring symbol of devotion to, and love of ones region, city, town, village or even quartiere (quarter, small district of a town). Campanilismo is…
Maschile o Femminile Posted by Serena on Jan 30, 2009
One of the most confusing aspects of Italian for English speakers is trying to get to grips with the gender of words. This is further complicated by he fact that we don’t use the letter ‘s’ to pluralize but ‘i’, or ‘e’ depending on the gender of the word. Therefore constructing a sentence can be…
Essere o Stare? Posted by Serena on Jan 29, 2009
I recently received an e-mail from a reader asking if I could explain the difference between essere and stare and how they are used. I got out my faithful Vocabolario della Lingua Italiana Treccani and … oh povera me! (poor me!) Under the entry stare there are 5 columns of information and for essere? well…
I Mesi dell’Anno Posted by Serena on Jan 27, 2009
I mesi dell’anno (the months of the year) have very similar names in most cultures that use the Giuliano (Julian) and Gregoriano (Gregorian) calendar. In the first century B.C. Julius Caesar reformed the Roman calendar, giving it its familiar structure of 365 days (366 every fourth year which is known as an anno bisestile), divided into 12 months. Apart from…